Byzantine art, as traditionally defined, refers to the arts originating within the boundaries of the so-called Byzantine Empire, from the date of the foundation of Constantinople in 324 to the date of its conquest by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. In truth, Byzantine art is not so easily encapsulated. Its distribution, artistic influence, and sources of inspiration extend well beyond the territorial boundaries of the Empire. Its roots can be traced in the pagan arts of Greco-Roman antiquity, and its legacy is clearly visible in the arts of the Italian and Northern Renaissance, medieval and modern Russia, and even of places far more remote in time and place, such as we see in the Byzantine revival architecture of London's Westminster Cathedral.

Yet, this research guide is intended only as a starting point for the undergraduate student, the librarian, and the interested amateur who would like to compile bibliographies and pursue topics focusing on Byzantine art and architecture. Therefore, it highlights resources that are most useful for the study of Byzantine art and culture within the traditional chronological and geographical parameters. It also represents a traditional approach that treats objects as art, not artifacts, and buildings as monuments, not archaeological sites. A truly comprehensive guide to resources for the study of Byzantine art and architecture would include resources for the study of Greco-Roman antiquity, medieval Islamic art and architecture, and western medieval cultures as well as titles and resources for textual sources, liturgical studies, and related disciplines. For obvious reasons, this guide does not include a comprehensive list of resources for these areas of study. Instead, the researcher, especially one who is interested in intercultural exchanges, is encouraged to consult the general resources for Byzantine studies included in section II of this guide, the selection of titles in section IV at the end of this guide, and items in the other bibliographies that were prepared by my colleagues.

Section II on Reference Materials highlights reference tools for ancient and medieval studies that offer adequate or better coverage of topics related to Byzantine history, culture, and/or arts. It assumes that the researcher already has a familiarity with more general resources for the arts and humanities such as the invaluable Bibliography of the History of Art, Art Index, Arts and Humanities Citation Index, etc. It is hoped that the non-specialist will be well-served by the less familiar resources selected for this list because of their focus on specific historical periods and materials, while the specialist will find it a useful overview.

Section III on Online Resources for Information is not a comprehensive list of all Web-based resources available. A proliferation of Web sites of varying quality makes such a comprehensive list nearly impossible to compile and maintain. For researchers who prefer to browse the Web from an ordered selection of links, I would recommend the Web sites created by the Byzantine Studies scholar, Paul Halsall (www.fordham.edu/halsall/byzantium), and student of theology and history, Rev. Steven Armstrong ( members.aol.com/frsteven/academic/data.html). The other sites named in this list will permit interested parties to explore the field of Byzantine Studies by directing them to information about specific collections, exhibitions, projects, recent and forthcoming publications, discussion lists, and centers of study.

Section IV on Selected Surveys, Monographs, and Digital Resources on Specific Topics is specifically aimed at the non-specialist who wishes to learn more about Byzantine art or particular topics within the study of Byzantine art. Nevertheless, the specialist may find hidden gems within the list, especially information about valuable digital resources.

II. REFERENCE
RESOURCES

A. BIBLIOGRAPHIES
AND PERIODICAL INDEXES

1. General
Bibliographies and Periodical Indexes for Byzantine Studies:

While
there are numerous bibliographies and periodical indexes for the
humanities and the arts, this list highlights resources that are
specifically focused on topics in ancient and medieval studies. Of
these, the Byzantinische Zeitschrift – Supplementum
Bibliographicum and related works provide the most comprehensive
coverage of topics in Byzantine Studies.

Aims
at comprehensive coverage of monographs, journal articles, conference
papers, and articles in collected volumes that are concerned with
classical philology, ancient literature, ancient history,
archaeology, religion, or other various sub-specialties in the study
of Greco-Roman antiquity. Most entries are annotated. Its
chronological parameters extend through late antiquity to the early
middle ages, but the coverage of Byzantine subjects is somewhat
spotty, notably strongest for Byzantine literature and early
Byzantine history. The online database replaces the CD-Rom version
of the Database of Classical Bibliography (Atlanta: Scholars
Press, 1995-1997) and is developed as a joint project of the Société
internationale de bibliographie classique and the American
Philological Association (formerly responsible for the DCB).
Available through subscription only, it permits researchers to search
all bibliographic entries of the print L’Année
philologique by modern author, ancient author, and keywords in
the title and annotations (“Full Text”) as well as limit
by subjects and disciplines, date, etc.

Byzantinische
Zeitschrift. Supplementum bibliographicum.

Each
issue of this semiannual publication has three sections: scholarly
essays, book reviews, and bibliography, along with obituaries and
other notices. The bibliography, which aims at comprehensive
coverage of all publications in Byzantine Studies, is organized by
subjects such as Archaeology and Art History. Currently distributed
by K.G. Saur-Verlag, annual subscription approx. 218 Euros.

Byzantinische
Zeitschrift - Bibliographie on CD-Rom.

The
2nd edition (released Dec. 2004) provides coverage for BZ
vols. 83 (1990) – 94 (2001) and is built on a Filemaker
database. Currently produced by K.G. Saur-Verlag, approx. 259 Euros
(205 Euros for subscribers to the journal).

Author
Index of Byzantine Studies (1892-1990):

Created
from the annotated bibliographic entries in the periodical BZ
and from Krumbacher’s Geschichte der byzantinischen
Literatur. Available in microfiche form from IDC Microform
Publishers (www.idc.nl).

This
difficult-to-use but invaluable database, which is also distributed
on CD-Rom to subscribers, supplants the Archäologische
Bibliographie, a supplement to the Jahrbuch des Deutschen
Archäologischen Instituts. It indexes monographs, journal
articles, and collected papers on ancient art and Old World
archaeology. It provides fairly good coverage of early Christian,
Byzantine, and early Medieval material as well as classical and
prehistoric.Subject
categories are based on the classification schemes in use at the
German Archaeological Institute in Rome, the German Archaeological
Institute in Madrid, and the RGK Frankfurt.

Electronic
access to the reviews, notes, obituaries, and quarterly bibliographic
appendix of the

German
periodical, Gnomon. Kritische Zeitschrift für die gesamte
klassische Altertumswissenschaft. The emphasis is on classical
studies (philology, ancient history, and archaeology), but there is
some coverage of Byzantine topics. Although less ambitious than
DYABOLA or other similar bibliographic databases, Gnomon uniquely
covers unpublished German and British dissertations.

International
Medieval Bibliography (Leeds: University of Leeds, 1967 - ).

The
IMB indexes articles in journals, conference proceedings,
Festschriften, and other collections. Coverage of Byzantine subjects
is fairly good but not as comprehensive as the BZ bibliographies.
The online version of the IMB is now complemented by the
Bibliographie de civilisation médiévale –
Online which indexes books (1957-2004) on medieval subjects.
Online versions are available with a subscription through Brepols
Publishers Online.

TOCS-IN: Tables of
Contents of Journals of Interest to Classicists:ftp.chass.utoronto.ca/pub/tocs-in/Search.html

A
free resource that allows searching and browsing of the tables of
contents of more than 180 European and American journals that are
focused on classical studies.

Articles
on topics such as Architecture, Islamic Influence of Byzantine Art,
specific media, cities, and individuals usually provide good, short
introductions on the subjects along with select bibliography.

The
original Pauly-Wissowa remains the fundamental encyclopedic work on
all aspects of classical

studies,
but coverage of Byzantine topics is not as complete as one might
wish. Der Kleine Pauly: Lexikon der Antike (Munich:
Druckenmüller, 1964-1975), Der neue Pauly: Enzyklopädie
der Antike (Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler, 1996-), and the English
version, Brill's New Pauly : encyclopaedia of the ancient world
(Leiden: Brill, 2002-) have shorter articles that are usually good
introductions to topics and provide up-to-date bibliography.

Now
also available as the Grove Dictionary of Art Online through
Oxford University Press. The entry entitled “Early Christian
and Byzantine Art” is actually comprised of several articles,
written by notable scholars, on topics such as patronage,
ecclesiastical architecture, monumental paintings and mosaics, etc.
It is strongly recommended for anyone seeking an overview of
Byzantine art and architecture. The Dictionary also has
articles on post-Byzantine art and specific cities of the Empire that
will be of interest to students.

Strongly
recommended for its informative articles on specific cities,
architectural elements, and media. Each completed Band has an
Ikonographisches Register and Topographisches Register. As of 2004,
only complete through “Nubien.”

This
“on-line encyclopedia” offers information on Roman
emperors from Augustus (27 BC-AD 14) until Romulus Augustulus (AD
475-476) in the “Western Empire” and to Constantine XI
Palaeologus (1449-1453) in the “Eastern Empire.” It also
provides timelines, outlines of major battles, maps, and images of
coins.

Jones, A.H.M., J.R.
Martindale, and J. Morris. The proposopography of the later Roman

Empire
(Cambridge: Cambridge, 1971-1992).

Multi-volume
work covers A.D. 260-641. This British project was in cooperation
with the French project, Prosopographie chrétienne.